Mindfulness for Veterans

Mindfulness Training for Veterans

As our veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are coming home, they are bringing with them the invisible wounds of war — traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress and memories of experiences that many of us can never imagine.

Evidence increasingly shows that mind-body practices, such as meditation, trauma-informed yoga and TRE (trauma releasing exercises), offer hope for those struggling with anger, isolation, suicidal ideation and other manifestations of trauma.

On November 5-9, 2014, monastic and lay members of our community, led by Brother Phap Uyen (Brother Michael), himself a veteran of Desert Storm/Desert Shield, will offered a retreat in the Plum Village tradition, based on their own experience of mindfulness as a transformative and healing practice. Together they shared with more recent veterans practices that will help them to truly come home.

The Miracle of Mindfulness

Sangha Is The Key

"It is difficult to make change alone. In the Sangha--the community of people who share the path of spiritual practice--there is a powerful collective energy of mindfulness and concentration. It cam help us make a breakthrough; it ignites our insight.